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Rook is one of the newest characters to hit the ground running this week from publisher Ghost Machine. Created by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, Rook is stranded on a failed planet colony, finding himself up against time, dangerous predators, and worst of all other humans, as he scavenges to build a spacecraft capable of escape. It’s a cyber-punk wilderness survival tale unlike any other, and we’re getting to experience it first hand!
- Written by Geoff Johns
- Illustrated by Jason Fabok
- Colors by Brad Anderson
- Letters by Rob Leigh
- Edited by Brian Cunningham
- Designed by Steve Blackwell
- Published by Ghost Machine
The Premise Behind Rook: Exodus
The year is 2163 and human beings are in the early years of colonizing new planets throughout the galaxy. Things on Earth are becoming more and more dire, forcing people to take jobs with a corporation known as “Better-World” that ships them off to new planets and work these colonies. Rook happens to be one of these people.
As the son of a generational farmer on Earth, Rook has worked hard in fields all his life, often having to deal with pesky crows and ravens eating his families crop. As he becomes a young man, the planets climate quickly became less conducive to growing crops. Money is hard to come by and whether it be because of his father, natural means, or sabotage, his families farm ends up burned to ashes.
With no income and nowhere to call home, Rook takes a job on planet F within the Kepler system as a Warden. Wardens help manage the planets ecosystem, often being in control of a species of animal through some kind of neural-link in their specified helmets. It’s kind of like drifting in the movie Pacific Rim. He can sense the animals thoughts, feelings, and memories, but sometimes it can be a 2 way street .
Escape is the Only Option For Rook
Each planet colony has a planet engine that terraforms it to something more akin to Earth. Desert planets become lush with vegetation and water sources. On planet F, this engine has failed and everyone that doesn’t work for Better-World has been evacuated, leaving behind staff members and Wardens for a secondary pick-up. The only problem is, no one has come back in 2 years. Now water sources are drying up, and the planets wildlife is becoming something more. They are growing in size and becoming more aggressive. Controlling them with the Wardens helmets is becoming increasingly more difficult. What ever program or software that operates the neural-link is beginning to fail.
The book opens up in the year 2173, with Rook looking on as someone else is trying to escape the planet in a makeshift craft. The problem is, no one left behind has any experience or education necessary to succeed and he watches as yet another ship fails to make it out. It’s clear that Rook has watched this happen several times as he has a system for scavenging this wrecks for parts to build his own craft. With things getting worse on the planet, and resources become more scarce, Rook is becoming more desperate…and so is everyone else.
A Murder of Creatives
Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok have done some immaculate work in building this world from the ground up. There are some obvious influences that jump to mind such as Interstellar, Wall-E, and Mad Max. However, what they’ve been able to achieve with their own signature work is impressive.
The Gospel of Rook By Geoff Johns
Johns has created a situation in which there is no choice but to force action from these characters and the environment around them. Rook is such a nuanced character with so many strengths and flaws. He resourceful thanks to his experience as a farmer. He understands the land and the nature of the beasts. He’s already lived in dire situations on Earth, so he’s been through this before.
What Rook falls short at is social skills. He does have one friend named Swine, Warden of Boars, but heir relationship is unsteady. Swine seems trusting and outgoing whereas Rook holds all of his cards close to his chest and is quite unyielding. Now that he’s been alone for quite some time, he’s unable to trust anyone. With the Corvidae neural-link on the fritz, it’s almost like the crows he controls have become more invasive into his mind. It’s hard for him to have quiet moment to think. This drives him to drink in an attempt to dull his senses, slow his mind.
The Nature of Art in Rook: Exodus
The artwork in Rook:Exodus can best be described as action packed. Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson make a great team. It doesn’t matter if its landscapes, machinery, animals, or people, Fabok brings a since of realism to this science fiction fantasy world. His scale and perspective are perfect. Even more impressive is the way he takes everyday subjects like crows, boars, bears, vehicles, and buildings and tweaks them ever so slightly to make them feel a little alien in nature.
Brad Anderson brings a great color palette to the book. The lush greens and lively colors of nature on the frontier parts of the planet contrast so well with the orange and gray’s of the cities and the machinery. There’s plenty of shades and variation of these colors to make subjects so much more detailed and nuanced. I never found me eyes to be bored with a single panel.
The lettering in this book really caught me attention as well. I have a bad habit of passing over the art of lettering, but I just knew I had to touch on it while reading this issue. A lot of the dialogue in this issue is Rook’s inner voice. This can sometimes feel overwhelming in a book and slow the pace, but not here. Rob Leigh moves each bundle of thoughts with proper pacing, and the way he portrays sound effects is expressive and engaging.
Everything Points To 9/10
Rook: Exodus is an intriguing, action packed introduction to this new world and the character of Rook. There is a whole new universe just waiting to be explored and I’m foaming at the mouth in anticipation for more. Geoff Johns has done a fantastic job with character creation and development in just one issue. Even a simple character like Swine has a surprising depth to him. There were moments that lagged, but overall the story moved with purpose.
The artwork is phenomenal. Fabok and Anderson have created a new world that feels relatable to our own with subtle changes that make in feel ever so unnatural. It’s a thin line that they walk with grace. I believe Rook’s solo debut was a resounding success, and this science fiction, Mad Max like story is the beginning of something extraordinary!
